Insomnia Was Improving

[bluebonnet]

for me, its been almost 14 years of dealing with insomnia. thankfully though i have noticed that i am sleeping better now a days (avoiding gluten since beginning of this year). i'm still unsure of what each night will bring (fall alseep quickly but wake up way too soon or not sleep at all or only a few restless hours). but its improving A LOT and it has taken me months to notice this difference. i waited and waited because others here reported insomnia will improve. i'm happy to say its a relief to get a good night's sleep (and more of them).

unfortunately though, if i eat gluten i don't sleep. i somehow came across gluten again yesterday (cc's happening quite a bit this summer!!!) and last night was awful. no sleep, weird dream with anxiety and racey heart palps. i'm always happy to see the light of a new day when i have nights like this. ugh. something is constantly contaminating me with gluten but i can't figure it out. guess that will always be a challenge. but ending this post on a positive note ... those of you struggling with insomnia, it will improve.

[IrishHeart]

for me, its been almost 14 years of dealing with insomnia. thankfully though i have noticed that i am sleeping better now a days (avoiding gluten since beginning of this year). i'm still unsure of what each night will bring (fall alseep quickly but wake up way too soon or not sleep at all or only a few restless hours). but its improving A LOT and it has taken me months to notice this difference. i waited and waited because others here reported insomnia will improve. i'm happy to say its a relief to get a good night's sleep (and more of them).

unfortunately though, if i eat gluten i don't sleep. i somehow came across gluten again yesterday (cc's happening quite a bit this summer!!!) and last night was awful. no sleep, weird dream with anxiety and racey heart palps. i'm always happy to see the light of a new day when i have nights like this. ugh. something is constantly contaminating me with gluten but i can't figure it out. guess that will always be a challenge. but ending this post on a positive note ... those of you struggling with insomnia, it will improve.

This DOES make me feel better.Thanks! I have so many horrible symptoms, but years of insomnia--especially ridiculous the past 3 --have taken their toll on me. Some nights, I only got 2 hours. Some nights, I was wide awake the entire time. I was "thrashing around" so much, with anxiety, heart racing and pounding, muscle and joint burning pain, I thought I was going mad! I feel so hopeful reading the posts that say how symptoms resolve after being diagnosed and eliminating gluten. I KNEW in my heart that it was not "just hormones" and "stress".

[adab8ca]

That is fantastic!

I too had crippling insomnia, days without sleeping. I was literally a crazy person. Dr gave me ativan to sleep and it saved my life. Don't need it now, 5 months gluten-free. I can have coffee and sleep!

Sleep is such a relief and so necessary to heal.

[IrishHeart]

That is fantastic!

I too had crippling insomnia, days without sleeping. I was literally a crazy person. Dr gave me ativan to sleep and it saved my life. Don't need it now, 5 months gluten-free. I can have coffee and sleep!

Sleep is such a relief and so necessary to heal.

Another positive post about insomnia improving! THANKS and hooray!! Believe it or not, I even tried ativan, lunesta, seroquel, xanax,and valium...(not all at once LOL) and they left me wide awake, in pain and jittery from the drugs...geesh...no herbal stuff worked either. I gave up.

I can say I do sleep better now, but 5 hours still just isn't enough. I look forward to sleeping better and longer!

It REALLY helps to hear these words!! You guys are great to share so much with others. Helps immensely!!:>)

[Igg postive]

for me, its been almost 14 years of dealing with insomnia. thankfully though i have noticed that i am sleeping better now a days (avoiding gluten since beginning of this year). i'm still unsure of what each night will bring (fall alseep quickly but wake up way too soon or not sleep at all or only a few restless hours). but its improving A LOT and it has taken me months to notice this difference. i waited and waited because others here reported insomnia will improve. i'm happy to say its a relief to get a good night's sleep (and more of them).

unfortunately though, if i eat gluten i don't sleep. i somehow came across gluten again yesterday (cc's happening quite a bit this summer!!!) and last night was awful. no sleep, weird dream with anxiety and racey heart palps. i'm always happy to see the light of a new day when i have nights like this. ugh. something is constantly contaminating me with gluten but i can't figure it out. guess that will always be a challenge. but ending this post on a positive note ... those of you struggling with insomnia, it will improve.

Your post is encouraging. I have suffered from insomnia. I never related it to anything. I am waiting till it will get better for me.

[healinginprogress]

Yes, your post is encouraging as I lie here awake since 5am lol But I hope you found out what was glutening you!

[jackay]

I, too, have severe insomnia issues. I can only say that I am so exhausted it hurts. I get very anxious without sleep (who doesn't). My latest pattern is my body (mind) only allowing sleep every other night. I've tried the drugs and natural remedies and saw no improvement. Some of them made me a lot worse.

I always thought the insomnia didn't get better because of first gluten and then when that was out of my diet, cross contamination. I'm still not positive it isn't. I'm having more testing done to see if anything else shows up. It would be nice to find a cause but I'm not counting on it.

The latest approach I am tring is cognitive behavioral sleep therapy. It is to retrain my brain for sleep. Don't know how successful this will be but I'm giving it a try. I know if cc or some other food intolerance is causing the insomnia, therapy isn't going to help much. However, if it helps a little, it will be worth it.

If anyone is interested in this approach look it up online for more information. This is the basics:

1. Restrict your hours of sleep. Average your sleep for a week and start with that. However, do not go under four hours per night.

2. There can be no light in the bedroom. (I actually taped tagboard over my window.)

3. If you are awake more than 15 minutes, get up and do something else for a while.

4. Always use an alarm clock to wake up.

5. If you sleep 95% of the time, increase your sleep time in 15 minute increments. If you sleep less than 80% of the time, decrease your time in 15 minute increments (not going less than four hours).

6. The designated bedroom for this can be used only for sleep and sex.

I'm just transitioning into this as I have a terrible cold and right now I feel resting in bed is better than nothing. I am getting up if I can't sleep. I gave up reading in bed. Oh now I miss that.

If anyone has tried this approach, let me know if it has worked for you.

[RobinsEggBlue]

That is fantastic!

I too had crippling insomnia, days without sleeping. I was literally a crazy person. Dr gave me ativan to sleep and it saved my life. Don't need it now, 5 months gluten-free. I can have coffee and sleep!

Sleep is such a relief and so necessary to heal.

I was pleased to hear you no longer need the ativan! I begged and my doctor finally gave it to me. I was cautioned to only use it every now and then as it is addicting and the more I used it the sooner my body would build up a tolerance to it. I've been taking it only every third night or so but after last night I am about to go nuts. I have been lying awake until about 3 and then finally sleeping, unable to get up until 10-11. Last night all I did was toss and turn the ENTIRE night. I am 53 and have had insomnia for over 30 years. I used to take Elavil for both pain and insomnia until it stopped working. Now that I have RA pain that isn't responding to the appropriate meds it is keeping me up more and more.

I only have .25 mg tablets which I quarter!!It is enough to make me sleep within 20 minutes and for the whole night.